Ethiopia: Troubled Lion

Along Addis Ababa's "Mattress
Street," brothels used to be marked with red crosses until the
International Red Cross complained that too many Ethiopians were
wandering into first-aid stations looking for a treat instead of a
treatment.

By government edict, red lights replaced the crosses. In the past two
years, the electricity bill for Addis' red-light districts has risen as
the number of cribs increased from 5,000 to 8,000. The boom is a
significant symptom of change. Its cause: the influx of foreigners into
the city for an endless series of conferences, all part of a determined
attempt by His Imperial...